1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to multimedia data for streaming across a network. More particularly, the present invention relates to securing multimedia data for streaming across a network.
2. Background Art
In our increasingly Internet pervasive society, the streaming of digital information across the Internet has become increasingly pervasive as well. Video streaming websites, such as YouTube, have been accessed by hundreds of millions of users across the globe. As a result of such technological advances, an increasing volume of copyrighted digital multimedia data are being streamed to third parties without the consent of the content owners. Several solutions have been formulated and implemented to deter unauthorized streaming of multimedia data.
One solution used to prevent illegal streaming of digital data is digital rights management (DRM). DRM is padlock technology that restricts how users can download, open, install and copy multimedia data files, such as movie files, music files, and software. DRM solutions may also be used to prevent users from viewing streaming multimedia data from a website. Software applications, such as Adobe Flash Access 2.0, may be used to prevent the displaying of multimedia data from streaming onto an unauthorized computer playback device. For example, when an individual begins streaming a digital movie, created with Adobe Flash Access 2.0, on a website, the website may be prevented from playing digital movie due to restrictions set by the digital movie content distributor. In order to display the streaming multimedia data successfully, the user may be required to acquire a digital access license by verifying the user's identity with DRM verification servers.
DRM not only places restrictions on the playback of streaming multimedia data, but DRM may also restrict which playback devices may stream multimedia data. For example, the streaming or downloaded multimedia data may be played back only through handheld devices but not on desktop personal computers (PCs). Attempting to stream multimedia data onto an unauthorized playback device may require the user to acquire an access license from a DRM verification server.
However, many businesses engaged in the streaming of multimedia data may desire to secure their multimedia data a lesser degree than the security standards set by DRM solutions. For example, a business may desire to allow any visitor to the business's own data website to view streaming multimedia data on the business's website, but the same business may not want unauthorized third-parties from incorporating the business's streaming multimedia data into third-parties' websites. Furthermore, DRM solutions may be too expensive to use for some businesses. For example, a business using Flash Access 2.0 to protect its streaming data may have to purchase and build a Flash Access licensing server and pay Adobe on a per-license issued/per-playback basis.
Thus far, any attempts to secure streaming multimedia data result in overly securing the multimedia data from any user. Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a solution to secure streaming multimedia data without overly burdening a user's access to the streaming multimedia data, and lessening overhead costs on the content providers.